An incredible second half surge from North Queensland has led the club to a 32-24 win over Canberra in Townsville.
The high-flying Cowboys were stunned in the first half, down 18-0 against a Canberra side fighting for its first finals appearance since 2012.
But starting when Michael Morgan scored in the shadows of halftime, North Queensland ran roughshod over the visitors.
Antonio Winterstein grabbed a double, Jake Granville was the recipient of a brilliant Johnathan Thurston pass and Gavin Cooper crossed in a second half rout.
Thurston banged over two penalty goals to boot, wrapping up an impressive 32-point unanswered run.
It wasn't always that way.
Lachlan Coote knocked on early in the match, and then it was one-way traffic for the Raiders.
Josh Hodgson punched down a huge 40/20 kick and Sam Williams, returning early from a pectoral injury, kept the pressure on with a kick that trapped Thurston in-goal.
In the 12th minute the sustained pressure cracked the Cowboys line, with big fullback Jack Wighton reaching out to slam the ball down and open up a 4-0 lead.
Four minutes later Edrick Lee charged over along the left flank with Jarrod Croker converting from the sideline.
As the Cowboys' errors mounted, Williams found Wighton with a cross-field kick, which he batted back for Sia Soliola to score.
It was 18-0 before Morgan gave the home side some hope in the shadows of halftime.
From there, it was all the Cowboys as the club pushes towards its maiden premiership.
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Topic: Cowboys roll over the top of Canberra
